Every
dog has its day, so the phrase goes. And in Jana Burceska we have a super
dance-lite tune called "Dance Alone", which along with a cracking
promo video is a stand out in 2017. Check it out here

I wrote on this
very page in 2012 that "Kaliopi seems to be a big deal in FYROM, a
confident diva who knows her way around a microphone. Unfortunately she
is hampered by a distinctly average Balkan ballard". Same again in
2016 with "Dona". It's here.
Sheesh!

Signs of a resurgence
from the malaise that is FYROM in the ESC in 2015 from Daniel Kajmakoski
with "Autumn Leaves". Although no Nat King Cole classic, I wish
it well, as they need all the support they can get because of the distinct
lack of neighbouring participation. It's here

Tijana, named
after a brass band, will be belting out "To the Sky" in '14. It's
deeply average as they often are, and it's here

The
Tourist Guide says

"A melding of Greek, Serb, Bulgarian and Albanian
cultures, and of Orthodox Christianity with Islam, has produced a fascinating
culture and a uniquely distinct country that deserves more than a passing
glance on the way to somewhere else. Macedonia is medieval monasteries,
timeworn Turkish bazaars, Orthodox churches and space-age shopping centres.
It is also the drone of the local bagpipes, Turkish-style grilled mincemeat
and Balkan burek (cheese or meat pie). The country is unbelievably green
and breathtakingly gorgeous; its people are hospitable and welcome visitors."

Skopje

"After a devastating earthquake in 1963 killed 1066
people, aid poured in from the rest of Yugoslavia to create the modern
urban landscape seen there today. It's evident that the planners got carried
away by the money being thrown their way, erecting oversized, irrelevant
structures which are now crumbling because of lack of maintenance."

A Macedonian shepherd had to hire a truck and drive his sheep home after
they got drunk.
Ordan Vandov, from Negotino, was talking to a vineyard owner who offered
him some leftover pressed grapes for the sheep.
But when the shepherd came to set off again with his flock, he realised
the sheep were staggering around and many were unable to walk.
He left the sheep and walked five miles to the nearest town where he hired
a truck to drive them home, local daily Dnevnik reported.
Mr Vandov said: "I've never seen anything like it. They were completely
drunk. They couldn't even stand on their own four legs."

One of the longest
named countries in the world.

One of those nations which look great on paper.

336BCE
Alexander inherited the throne of Macedonia and all of Greece. Within
4 years he conquered the entire Persian Empire. 323BC Alexander died in
Persia at Babylon at the age of 32. 199BC-150BC The Romans make Macedonia
into a province and obliterate Corinth. 1903 Up to 50,000 Bulgarian men,
women and children are massacred in Monastir by Turkish troops seeking
to stop a Macedonian uprising. 1912 During the Balkan Wars Greece acquired
Macedonia from the Ottoman Empire. Faced with fighting on four fronts,
(Greece, Ottoman Empire, Romania, Serbia) Bulgarian armies were defeated.
Atrocities were widespread. 1929 Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes,
including Macedonia, formally changes its name to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
1963 Skopje destroyed by earthquake and over 1,000 were killed. 1991 Macedonia
gain independence from the former Yugoslavia. 1999 China severs relations
with Macedonia after they recognize Taiwan. 1999 Around 200,000 refugee
Kosovar Albanians overwhelm Macedonia. 2001 Macedonian and Serb leaders
agreed to work together to fight ethnic Albanian guerrillas. 2005 Macedonia
start EU membership talks.

A Macedonian drove six hours across Italy and into Germany before noticing
he had left his wife at a petrol station.
Ljubomir Ivanov , 35, only realised he had forgotten wife Iskra, 37,
when he got a call on his mobile from police to say she was still waiting
for him at the petrol station near Pesaro, in central Italy.
He said: "I filled up the tank with petrol, paid and then just
drove off. I was very tired and not thinking straight.
"She usually sits in the back seat so I didn't really see she wasn't
there, until I got a call when I was already in Germany."
My Ivanov immediately drove back to Pesaro to pick up his wife so they
could resume their holiday.
"I had a lot of apologising to do," he said.

Famous
Former Yugoslav Republic

of Macedonians

Alexander
the Great (by descent)

Life
expectancy

72.01
men 76.68 women

Airports

17

Radios

200 per 1,000
people

Internet
Users

149.2 per 10,000
people

Railway
Network

434
miles

Death Penalty
- laws do not provide for the death penalty for any crime